Prediction of yellow poplar ( Liriodendron tulipifera ) veneer stiffness and bulk density using near infrared spectroscopy and multivariate calibration

This study investigated the feasibility of using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and multivariate calibration to predict bulk density and stiffness of 3.2 mm thick yellow poplar veneer strips. Full-range (800–2500 nm) raw NIR spectra and spectra pre-treated using the first derivative method, along with spectra from three other different wavelength windows of 1200–2400 nm, 1800–2400 nm and 1400–2000 nm were regressed against the bulk density (kg m−3) values and the dynamic modulus of elasticity (stiffness; GPa) of the veneers using the projection to latent structures (PLS) method to develop calibration models. All predictive models developed performed well in the prediction of bulk density and stiffness of new test samples that were not included in the calibration models. R2 values ranged from 0.67-0.78 and 0.56-0.72, respectively, for bulk density and stiffness. There was significant improvement in models developed with first derivative spectra over models developed with raw spectra. The models developed...